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Sunday, June 29, 2014

Raw bananna can be cooked into varieties of dishes. It is one of the most used vegetable in South India. From banana chips to curries like Sambar, dry curry . banana fry, Banana Curd Curry (Majjege Huli or Moru Kolambu, Chutney from its skin, Kootu, the list of dishes go on. I do myself use these Raw bananas very often. It is not only to easy to cook raw banana, it is full of nutrients.

Raw banana dry curry is a side dish and we can have them with plain rice or and masala rices, chapatis, rotis, pooris and dosas.

Let see some health benefits of Raw Banana.

The green banana is good source of fiber, vitamins and minerals. They contain a starch that many help to control blood sugar, manage weight and lower blood cholesterol levels.

Here is a recipe of "Raw Banana Dry Curry" and as I said earlier we can have them this dish with chapatis, rice, pooris or even with dosas. One more way of using this curry is to prepare "Parathas". Yemmy Parathas can be prepared with it. I am sure each and every one will love to have and enjoy. This curry is with out onions and garlic and we can have them even on special days or during fasting time. It is easy and simple to prepare.

7. Put turmeric powder and mix it slowly.
8. Put 2 to 3 table spoons of water and cook on low flame till the water dries.
9. Now add salt and mix it well. Leave it for 10 seconds.
10. Add lemon juice, cut coriander leaves and coconut. Put off the gas.

11. Stir it slowly and shift the ready banana curry to a serving bowl.

12. Serve with any main dish you prepared.

Note:

You must cook on l ow flame. Adding more water will turn the bananas in to very smooth it may become too soft and you may not be able to get the pieces. Adding coconut is optional. You can use red chilly powder or garam masala instead of green chilly. You should soak cut banana pieces or they may turn black.
Time : 20 Minutes
Serving : 4 to 6

Method :

1. Put banana dry palya in a bowl, add garam masala, coriander leaves and salt. Smash the pieces using a palm or a spoon.

2. Put wheat flour, salt and oil in a big bowl. Mix the flour nicely and add water little by little and prepare chapati dough. Leave it for 10 Minutes.

3. Now divide the dough in to small portions and roll into small balls.

4. Divide the wheat flour dough also into small portion and keep it aside.
5. Take one portion of chapati dough and flatten on your palm.
6. Place a ball size Banana dry curry mixture inside and cover the whole and make ball.

7. Roll them on the dry flour and flatten on the rolling pin like chapati. (Do it slowly).

8. Keep a pan on the fire. Sprinkle oil on the tava and cook Raw Banana Parata on both sides.

9. Repeat the same with the remaining dough and prepare Parathas.

10. Serve Hot Raw Banana Parathas with a cup of curd and a curry you prepared.

Time : 30 minutesServings : 2 to 3

Note : Do not prepare the dough too hard. (Chapati consistency). Adding more or less chilly powder to the dry curry is optional. Using more oil also is optional.

HelloEvery one....My name is Nalini Somayaji. Teaching is my profession. Cooking is my passion. Reading, traveling, visiting new places, having fun with kids are some of the hobbies I can say. My recipes are Healthy, quick, easy and simple. Grown up being a traditional family member I love and respect Indian culture and traditions. Love classical dance and music.

Friday, June 27, 2014

Pasta is known as Italian food. Different shapes of Pasta available in the market. Pastas are cooked with different ways with different vegetables and cheese. Here I have tried Kheer out of Pasta. We Indians try to adopt and cook things using our own ingredients and to set it according to our life style and our taste. Preparing Kheer, using Pasta is not new. I have heard and even read recipes about it. But most of them had sugar in it.

We South Canara people prepare Paradi Payasa. (Kheer is called as Paayasa in Kannada language). But this is done with rice flour or Maida flour. Even in Kerala Adai Payasam or Adha Prathamam is famous. Adah is nothing but rice flakes. I have prepared Adha Payasa many times. We do prepare Payasa with Semiya also. Semiya is also a thin variety of Pasta. Seeing Pasta pack invited me to try this Payasa. Definitely the taste was really yemmy and finger licking. I used fresh coconut milk, jaggery and a cup of fresh milk.

Here is a recipe of "Pasta Kheer"(Pasta Payasa) and it will surely liked by all I am sure.

Things Needed :

Method :

1. Grate coconut and grind with little water and squeeze out milk. (Thick milk) Keep it aside separately.
2. Again put some more water and grind the same coconut and remove milk from it. Keep it aside. Keep it separately.

3. Powder cardamom and keep it aside.

4. Remove the seeds from dates and cut into small and keep it aside.

5. Now keep 3 to 4 cups of water for boiling and put Pasta and cook.

6. When the pasta turn soft drain the extra water and keep pasta aside.

7. Now keep a big bowl and put the thinner coconut milk, boiled pasta and jaggery and cook for 2 to 3 minutes.

8. Let jaggery melt and start boiling. Now mix thick coconut milk. Let it boil for 2 minutes. (Do not boil for a long time).

9. Add cardamom and pour the Kheer to a serving bowl.

10. Add fresh boiled milk just before serving.

Notes :

You can use sugar instead of jaggery. You can use tinned coconut milk instead of fresh coconut milk. You can add ghee fried nuts to the Kheer.
Adding more or less jaggery is optional.Time : 20 minutesServes : 6 (Small Servings)

HelloEvery one....My name is Nalini Somayaji. Teaching is my profession. Cooking is my passion. Reading, traveling, visiting new places, having fun with kids are some of the hobbies I can say. My recipes are Healthy, quick, easy and simple. Grown up being a traditional family member I love and respect Indian culture and traditions. Love classical dance and music.

Thursday, June 26, 2014

Bhendi is Lady's Finger(okra) and Aloo is nothing but potatoes. Every one normally likes Potatoes. Mixing Lady's finger and preparing a combo curry indeed a good thought.

Lady's finger, is liked by most. It is said that "The one who eats Bendi (Lady's finger) will be good at calculation and will be definitely intelligent and also will be excellent in Maths. I do not know whether, the above said words are really true or just some simply said promise to make the children eat this vegetable. What ever it is this particular combo Bemdi Aloo curry goes well with rice, chapati, roti, poori or even dosa and idli and it is one of the healthy side dish you can prepare quickly and easily.

Now lets see some benefits of eating Lady's Finger.Lady's finger or Okra are rich source of dietary fiber, minerals and vitamins. It is often recommended by nutritionists in cholesterol controlling and weight reduction programs. They do not contain saturated fats and cholesterol. They contain healthy amounts of vitamin A and anti-oxidants. Fresh Okras are good source of folates. They are rich in Vitamin C, Vitamin K and B complex. Lady's finger are also good source of many important minerals such as iron, calcium, manganese and magnesium. Lady's finger juice is consumed to control the diabetics.

Here is a recipe of Bendi - Aloo Curry and I am sure all age group will surely enjoy having them.

8. Now add half cooked potatoes and stir slowly and mix it well. Leave them on low flame. (Stir in between).

9. Add Garam Masala powder and Rasam powder when the potato is completely cooked. (Do not over cook).

10. Mix it nicely and cook on low flame for 2 to 3 minutes. Add coriander leaves and lemon extract.

11. Put it in a serving bowl and add a spoon of ghee.

12. Serve Bendi -Aloo curry with the choice of your main dish.

Note:

Do not over cook potatoes. It turns soft and will be smashed with the curry.
You can use tamarind instead of lemon juice. Add it when you add tomatoes and cook it nicely.
You can also use more oil and more spices.
Adding coconut is also an optional. Retaining the potato skin is optional.Time : 20 minutesServes : 4

HelloEvery one....My name is Nalini Somayaji. Teaching is my profession. Cooking is my passion. Reading, traveling, visiting new places, having fun with kids are some of the hobbies I can say. My recipes are Healthy, quick, easy and simple. Grown up being a traditional family member I love and respect Indian culture and traditions. Love classical dance and music.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Shavige or Vermicelli is made with Durum wheat. (Which is one of the best wheat variety). We can prepare Shavige- Upma, or varieties of spicy snacks and sweet dishes from Shavige. Normally in India, specially South Indians use Shavige for break fast, some time for lunch and even during their fasting days. (Vrutha or Ekadasi and some special days).

Shavige is a traditional type of pasta. It is known as seviyam in Urdu and Hindi. Shemai in Bengali, Sev in Gujarati, Shavige in Kannada, Seval or Semiya in Telugu, Semiya in Tamil and Malayalam. As I said it before we can prepare various dishes using Shavige.

Here is a recipe of Shavige Pulav which is easy to prepare. It is healthy and will be liked by all the family members I am sure.

Note :

You must fry shavige till it gets brown colour.
Using ghee is optional. Instead of ghee use little more oil.
You can grind coconut, garam masala, cinnamon, cloves , green chilly and ginger with little water and fry this mixture and fry till the raw smell disappear and add it to Shavige Pulav.
You can use more vegetables like peas and beans.
Adding lemon is optional.
Using onions is also optional.Time : 40 MinutesServings : 5 to 6

HelloEvery one....My name is Nalini Somayaji. Teaching is my profession. Cooking is my passion. Reading, traveling, visiting new places, having fun with kids are some of the hobbies I can say. My recipes are Healthy, quick, easy and simple. Grown up being a traditional family member I love and respect Indian culture and traditions. Love classical dance and music.

Monday, June 23, 2014

Jack fruit or halasina hannu ( in Kannada) is a seasonal fruit. Most of us love Jackfruit and especially we from Dakshina Kannada, do prepare many many dishes out of Raw Jack Fruit and Fruits when they ripe. Not only enjoy eating Jack Fruits we prepare Payasa (Kheer), Halwa, Kadabu (Idli), papad (from half ripe and fully ripe fruits), sweet pakodas etc. Eating roasted Jackfruit Papad is fun during the rainy seasons. Childhood memories are always sweet when remember that, you feel really missing something now. Though you can not bring back those moments, you just think and cherish the good time. Oh where am I heading to? Hmmm This Jack fruit took me back to my childhood days where I loved and lived in my Doddamma's (my mother's elder sister) house those days. Let me tell youthe process and preparations and what are the benefits we get from Jack Fruits.

Llets see some benefits we get from Jack fruits.
Jack fruit is a sweet and delicious fruit with many health benefits. It contains high amount of carbohydrate and calorie. It is rich in antioxidants and protect us from ageing and degenerative disease.It increases eye vision and protect from cataract. It is a good source of potassium. It also improves bone and skin health. It contain high amount of Vitamin C and it increases immune system function to protect from infections. It also helps to maintain the blood pressure and improve the digestion. Jackfruit contain potassium. Jackfruits is rich in dietary fibers.

Here is a recipe of "JACKFRUITS RAVA SWEET IDLI." It is tasty, healthy and easy to prepare. We can have these Jackfruits idlis are really good for breakfast for the people who like sweet taste. Very nice dish for evening snack and we can have them for dinner too. Since it is steamed food its good for all age group. We can pack Jackfruit Idli for lunch box or snack box for a change.

Method :

3. Add Jackfruits and grind nicely till they are soft.
4. Add jaggery and grind till they mix well with dough.

5. Now take a big bowl and pour ground jackfruit mixture to the bowl.
6. Add rava and mix it nicely .
7. Keep a pressure cooker or idli cooker on the fire and put some water at the bottom of the cooker.
8. Apply oil or ghee on each mould of the idli plate.
9. Add Eno to the Rava Jack Fruit mixture and mix it well.

10. Put a spoon of this Eno mixed mixture in the idli plate and arrange the plates.
11. Keep this plates in the pressure cooker, cover the lid and steam for 15 minutes.

12. Put off the fire and open the lid and check idli to know its cooked well.

13. Remove idli from the plate and put it in a serving bowl.

14. Serve with ghee on the top of idli.

Note :

You can use raw rice instead of Semolina. Rice should be soaked in water for 2 hours and ground with coconut and jackfruit. ( If using rice). Using Rava is a healthy and it is light when eaten. You can use more jackfruits. Adding Eno is optional. Remember if you use more jackfruits do not add Eno. Adding more or less jaggery is also optional.Time : 30 MinutesServings : 6

HelloEvery one....My name is Nalini Somayaji. Teaching is my profession. Cooking is my passion. Reading, traveling, visiting new places, having fun with kids are some of the hobbies I can say. My recipes are Healthy, quick, easy and simple. Grown up being a traditional family member I love and respect Indian culture and traditions. Love classical dance and music.